Building a consumer app’s MVP and how to fundraise with Zest’s Jake Gutstein | E1889

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at vanta.com/twist MEV. Tired of the dev shop rollercoaster? Mev is your reliable technical partner, offering a well-established software development process designed to consistently deliver unparalleled value to their clients. Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist! The Paintbrush Loan is the earliest startup financing on the internet. No pitch deck, no business plan, no minimum time in business, and no warm intros. Plus, you get to keep your equity. Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes. * Today’s show: Zest's Jake Gutstein joins Jason to discuss his journey in creating the cooking app Zest (1:37). The two dive into how the Zest team formed (10:29), finding the right tools for your startup (25:24), Jake's experience in the Launch Accelerator program (33:27), and more! * Timestamps: (0:00) Zest’s Jake Gutstein joins Jason (1:37) What prompted the creation of Zest and the initial concept and MVP for Zest (9:22) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (10:29) The product development, initial testing, and finding a technical co-founder (17:21) The decision to go full-time with Zest, the process of raising initial funding, and the importance of overcoming ambiguity and uncertainty (20:54) MEV - Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist (22:05) Demo of Zest’s product (25:24) Finding the right tools and mentors and the value propositions of Zest discovered through user research (32:35) Paintbrush - Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes (33:27) Product launch, approach to fundraising, and experience with the Launch Accelerator program (46:48) Future plans and goals for Zest * Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co * Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Mentioned on the show: https://www.respondent.io https://therewiredgroup.com https://twitter.com/bmoesta https://twitter.com/nealsales https://twitter.com/jasonfried https://twitter.com/dhh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LK6lKCKMQM * Follow Jake: X: https://twitter.com/GutsteinJake LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-gutstein Check out: https://zestapp.co * Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (9:22) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (20:54) MEV - Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist (32:35) Paintbrush - Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast